Processing of many types of industrial materials, including treatment by molten bath reactors of industrial wastes composed of, for example, organic compositions, such as polychlorinated biphenyls, metals and their oxides, etc., is often conducted in a heated containment vessel. In molten bath reactor systems, the containment vessel is constructed of a material, usually a refractory material, which will not fail while retaining the heated molten material. Repeated use of containment vessels and the stresses of heating and cooling molten baths can cause containment vessels to fail unexpectedly and catastrophically. Catastrophic failure of a refractory lining in a vessel can cause serious bodily injury and can result in loss of life as well as significant property damage.
Currently, a method to determine failure of a vessel wall lining is by visual inspection. However, inspection by this method involves discontinuing the process and removing any materials contained within the vessel for inspection of the lining. Consequently, an indication of catastrophic failure while the reactor is filled with a liquid, such as molten metal, generally cannot be determined until the failure occurs.
A need exists, therefore, for an apparatus and a method to monitor the physical integrity of containment vessels such as the type which retain heated molten materials.